OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Heading into another showdown with the Steelers, the Ravens hope momentum is better than rest.

The Ravens and Steelers split two games this season, each winning on the road by three points. Both finished 12-4 and tied atop the AFC North. But because Pittsburgh had a better division record, it received a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. Baltimore, in turn, was forced to hit the road as a wild-card team, and hammered Kansas City 30-7 on Sunday.

“There is definitely an advantage to having the time off from a rest perspective, and there’s probably an advantage from playing from a being sharp perspective,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said yesterday. “I’m very confident we can get our guys rested, recovered and ready to go on Saturday.”

Safety Ed Reed, whose younger brother was reported missing in Louisiana on Friday, returned home on Sunday night and was told to stay as long as he saw fit.

“We’ve left that up to Ed,” Harbaugh said. “I know Ed knows this team inside and out. It’s going to depend on the circumstances down there, what he feels he needs to do with his family. But we’ll give him a lot of leeway on that.”

Brian Reed apparently jumped into the Mississippi River after being confronted by a deputy sheriff in response to a report of a stolen car.

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Harbaugh had a rather merciless take when asked about defensive tackle Haloti Ngata breaking Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s nose during the teams’ game last month.

“He’s a tough guy,” Harbaugh told reporters of Roethlisberger. “I was glad we broke his nose and then I was very impressed that he played through it. . . . We’re going to try to get after him like we always do.”